The chip that changed computing... the Intel 8086 chip turns 40 years old... Happy 40th Birthday to the Intel 8086 Chip (b.1978), which interestingly, its creator Stephen Morse developed as a stop-gap while a replacement product was being developed. [1] The rest is history... the 8086 lives on in its descendents, the x86 line of chips.

There are a few remarkable facts: (1) 8086 design was led by a software engineer whose goal was to build a chip that made software more efficient; (2) backward compatibility was the mantra (and gave the 8086 and in general the x86 line much of its longevity and high appeal -- all old software worked); (3) the selection of the 8088 (8-bit cheaper cousin) by IBM for its first PC (the 5150) generated the hardware impetus; (4) Microsoft writing software for the 8088/8086 completed the chip-hardware-software triangle that drove the transformative success of the x86.

[1] Short Article: https://www.extremetech.com/computing/270926-happy-40th-anniversary-to-the-original-8086-and-the-x86-architecture

[2] In-Depth Article: https://www.pcworld.com/article/146957/components/article.html

[3] IBM PC 5150: https://www-03.ibm.com/ibm/history/exhibits/pc25/pc25_intro.html